Meet Me On the Horizon
by J.RdrgzXO
Summary: Stefan Salvatore is a premier Formula 1 driver. Elena Gilbert was his former flame and one true love. Elijah Michaelson, former best friend of Stefan and fellow Formula 1 driver, has now married Elena and are expecting a child. Stefan and Elena meet many years later and what unravels between the two will be a threat to all.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hey all! Here's my newest story "Meet Me On the Horizon"! This is just the prologue but if anyone is interested in me pursuing the story, please review and let me know what you think! I'm still not sure if I want to write it in first person or in third person so this prologue will be written in third person. Enjoy!**

**PROLOGUE:**

Stefan Salvatore laid flat on the ground of hotel room. He was moving his feet and hands as if he was driving his beloved Ferrari kart "Francesca"- He could hear the sound of the waves crashes off the shore and the low hum of the sun. He was envisioning his win in Monaco that would occur later that day.

"...along the Beau Rivage, long left into Massenet, into the short right of Casino. Sharp right into Mirabeau, then sharp left into Loews, mind the guard rails..."He said quietly to himself. A sudden knock at the door brought Stefan promptly to his feet. When he opened the door, he wasn't surprised to see who was standing behind it. She was wearing a cream colored Herve Leger dress that perfectly complimented her olive skin tone. She pushed her long brown hair to the side and seductively smiled when Stefan opened the door.

"Well, hello there Stefan," She stated. Stefan deviously smiled back and pulled her into his room where he began to cover every inch of her body with lustful kisses.

"I wasn't expecting you to be here," he admitted. She just looked up at Stefan with exotic eyes and put her lips to his ear.

"Did you miss me? I missed you. I missed _all _of you." She moaned into his ear. Stefan pulled her closer to him and took in everything about her. She was growing impatient and wanted to take things to the bedroom. Stefan took note of her suggestion and he slipped off her dress only to be revealed that she was wearing risqué French lingerie underneath which excited him immensely.

"Life is full of surprises, isn't it?" She sauntered. Stefan just widely smiled and pulled her closer to him, letting his hormones take over.

"Yes it is, Katherine. Yes, it is."

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

"Elena, how many times are we going to go over this? I said I was sorry, what more do you want from me!" Elijah yelled with frustration as Elena Michaelson gently touched her small but growing baby bump while scornfully blasting her husband.

"You said you were going to be there! You told me you could make it! 'Don't worry my love, I'll be there,'" Elena mimicked Elijah and continued her rant, "I have a midwife following me with every step I take- my doctor flew in just because you wanted me to stay for the race and yet you couldn't even be there for me! God, I'm so sick of having to do everything by myself. Do you know what it's like having an absent husband? It sucks, okay? It really sucks because as I'm trying to create a stable life for us, you're still racing around the track until four in the morning and coming back at noon. Where were you? Were you out drinking? Screwing someone else? I sit in hotel room after hotel room, carrying our child inside of me and yet you can't even make a fucking doctor's appointment. I'm done Elijah, I am so done. You know ever since you lost the championship three years ago, things haven't been the same. I can't handle this stress, my pregnancy is high risk as it is and you aren't helping that at all. This may be the first race of the season, but it's the last one I'll be attending. I'm going back home to Virginia tomorrow. Don't bother trying to convince me otherwise because I'm done Elijah, I am so finished with this marriage. What happened to the guy I fell in love with?"

Elijah pressed his mouth into a firm line while his hands were shaking.

"You know what you signed up for when you married me, Elena. You knew exactly what to expect. Don't be so bitter because I missed one appointment. You married me… Because? For what? Because Stefan wanted to pursue his career? Or because you cheated on him with me? Every day it's something with you Elena, why can't you be like all the other wives and just put everyone else first? I'm so tired of hearing you complain about what's wrong with you. Did you ever consider what it's like for me? I have this life for us. I would have retired a long time ago but you're the one who convinced me to stay! If anyone is to blame for the fall of our marriage, it's you."

Elena rummaged through the drawers and closet and sloppily packed her bags while avoiding eye contact with Elijah. Elijah was raging, he was angry and fed up with their arguments. Feeling guilty about his remark, he went over to comfort his wife but she slipped underneath his embrace and walked towards the door.

"I'm going out for a while. Don't follow me." Elena requested. Elijah sat on their bed and rubbed his temples with frustration. Elena entered the elevator to go to the lobby. She kept thinking about what Elijah had said, about why she married him. Truth be told, Elena never really fell out of love with Stefan, she just couldn't support his choices. She wanted the life she has now with him, she wanted her baby to be his. She wanted to be Elena Salvatore but when Elijah came offering all of that, she had to take it. Elena made Elijah fall in love with her and she hates herself for it.

The elevator had just reached the lobby when her phone suddenly started buzzing. It was a text message from Caroline.

Caroline: "Hey E! How did the appointment go?"

Elena: "Hi Car, it went well. Baby's good. Still too early to tell what sex it is. How's Klaus & my nephew?"

Caroline: "Klaus and Tristan are well. Out playing soccer. Matt and 'Bekah are here- having a picnic today- they miss you, we all miss you."

Elena felt a few tears escape from her eyes as she read the message. She missed being home with her family; she desperately wished she could be there. Another text message came from Caroline.

Caroline: "How's Elijah? We're going to watch the race here. Send him our best & love"

Elena sighed in frustration and disgust. She wanted to tell Caroline about their fight but the more Elena thought about it, the more she felt sorry for what she said.

Elena: "Elijah is well, nervous but he said his time at the track was good. And will do, miss all of you too. Hoping to come home in a few weeks for a long weekend if Elijah let's me."

Caroline: "Good luck with that one! LOL"

Elena knew Elijah would never let her go home without him. She locked her phone and walked passed the bar, itching for a strong drink but patted her stomach and smiled at the life growing inside of her. Stefan was sitting at the bar with Katherine when he saw Elena. And as soon as he got a glance of her, every neuron in his body was set on fire.

_Could it be?_ He thought. _It couldn't be. There's no way. _His gaze was fixated on her until he finally convinced himself it wasn't Elena. Katherine hung on his arm and diverted his attention to her but deep down, Stefan knew it was her.

Elena pulled on her Ray-Ban sunglasses and exited the building. She felt the warm sun on her face and instantly felt a little better. She walked away from the building to the street of high-end designer shops to temporarily relieve her sadness. As she was crossing the street, she saw a family happily walking together from the beach. She wanted that more than anything and Elena was determined to have that with or without Elijah. But then Elena got to thinking about her child and how if she left Elijah, there would be a missing piece to her family. Elena constantly teeter-totter with her emotions; one minute she hates Elijah and the next she forgives him. That flaw was the reason for Elena's current state of life, her decision to choose Elijah over Stefan was the worst choice Elena had ever made.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Thank you all for the encouraging reviews! I'm so excited to begin this story :) Without further ado, Chapter One of "Meet Me On The Horizon"! Follow me on twitter for story progress, updates, and discussions: jrdrgzxo **

Elena entered a store with an armful of shopping bags from DIOR, Christian Louboutin, and Chanel. Elena was scanning the racks and sighing with each article of clothing she passed on.

"Can I help you with something Miss?" A young sales associate asked. Elena politely smiled but when she looked to the sales associate, she was afraid of what she saw but never lost her composure. The sales associate eyes were pitch black, as if they were hallowed out from her head. Elena swallowed her fear and managed to find something to say.

"Do you have a children's section? I'm expecting my first child," Elena said quietly. The sales associate beamed and clapped her hands together in a slow motion and then placed her hand on Elena's stomach, which made Elena extremely uncomfortable.

"Congratulations….Motherhood must be so exciting. Your husband must be elated as well." Elena just nodded and looked around the store to see if anyone else had just witnessed what Elena just had.

"Yeah… I'm sorry, I have to go actually. I'm suddenly feeling tired. Thank you for all your help." Elena left the store as quickly as possible without looking back. She wanted to get the Hell out of there. Something was very off about that woman but Elena decided to dismiss it. All though the hotel was only two blocks away, Elena's feet were starting to hurt and swell due to her poor choice in footwear.

"Ugh, I won't be able to wear cute shoes until after I give birth I guess." Elena muttered to herself.

She waved her arm out to get the attention of a taxi and with that motion, she felt a sharp pain from her uterus and a tearing sensation from underneath her dress. Elena looked down to her feet and saw blood dripping down her leg and shortly after, a crimson circle started to appear on her pelvis. Elena was immediately struck with panic and fear. She crouched over and was gasping for air, her moans and sobs were horrid yet no one bothered to help her. Everyone that walked past her ignored her pleads. Elena was in fetal position on the sidewalk and kept bleeding as someone stood above her. She couldn't make out the face just yet since a white light coming from behind the person, blinded her vision; but judging by the stance, she knew exactly who it was.

"You left me, remember? You couldn't stay. He was my best friend and you married him. Why didn't you pick me? Why wasn't it me? What did I do? You're trapped, Elena. You're never getting out." His voice was muffled and monotone but clear as day to Elena. His green eyes were dull and lifeless.

Elena didn't understand what Stefan was doing there or how he got there but she felt instantly better anyway.

"Stefan…. Help me. Please, help me." Elena croaked out. Stefan turned his head sideways in slow motion and cynically smiled. His eyes never left Elena's pelvis. Elena looked at Stefan with a confused and contorted expression and was starting to become scared. Stefan slowly turned to walk away from her and her heart raced and now a river of blood was coming from between her legs.

"No! Wait, please, Stefan. Come back! Come back!" Elena yelled as she felt the life inside of her slip away. But immediately after, all the sensation and pain was gone, Elena found the courage to look at the sight and screamed in horror as she looked upon her unborn child.

Elena jolted up from the bed and gasped quickly as she looked around her surroundings. Elena was in her hotel room and Elijah was sleeping soundly next to her. Elijah stirred when she lifted the blankets off of her to make sure she wasn't actually having a miscarriage, she sighed with relief when the sheets were clean.

"Elena… are you alright? You're shaking and you're sweating." Elijah sat up and took Elena's sweaty face in his hands. Her hair was matted and sticking to her forehead. She was still breathing heavy and she was feeling a wave of nauseous but she just nodded her head yes.

"I just had a bad dream, that's all. It was just a dream." She answered. Elijah nodded but never let the concern leave his eyes. He inspected Elena's face once again and got up to get her a glass of water.

When he came back Elena was in the bathroom, washing her face with cold water to shake off the anxiety she was feeling. Elijah waited for her in the doorframe of the bathroom. She shot him a small smile but he wasn't buying it.

"Look.. Elena, about earlier… I just wanted to apologize for what I said. I know what I did was wrong and what I said was even worse but I'm under a tremendous amount of pressure and the last thing I need is for you to leave me. Please, please just stay. If only for the end of the day, I just need you here for my first race. And if you feel still feel like you want to go home, you can." Elijah said with a sad tone and Elena placed her hands on her hips and was contemplating what Elijah just said.

"What you said and did was very wrong and hurtful. This isn't an opportunity to prove me wrong though, so don't get any ideas but, I forgive you. I guess I didn't realize how stressful it must be for you… I will stay until the end of the day." Elijah smiled and closed the space between them and planted a kiss on her forehead. Elijah took Elena's hand and led them back to bed.

* * *

"Are you nervous about today?" Katherine asked Stefan as she traced his abs while they lie naked in bed together. Stefan exhaled and raised his eyebrows.

"Nah, not really, to be honest. I mean, it's the first race of the season so it's not like it counts too much. But I am confident I'm going to place well." Stefan answered casually, trying to cover up the internal panic he was feeling.

"So… have you looked at the roster to see who's competing tomorrow?" Katherine asked with a coaxed tone. Stefan furrowed his brows and turned his head to Katherine with a puzzled look.

"No, I haven't. Why? Should I be concerned about who's competing? You know I don't look at the board until the race is over." Katherine nodded as if she actually cared about a word Stefan had said.

"No reason… I was just wondering if Sebastian was going to participate this season, his face isn't in the best condition for photo ops right now." Katherine sneered a laugh and Stefan groaned with disgust. He threw the sheet over his legs and got up from bed. He pulled a pair of slim fitting jeans on and a white t-shirt.

"You should be more considerate of what you say about people, Kat. He has third degree burns all over his body. He's lucky to be alive. Every time we get on the track, we have a 20% chance of dying. That could have been me - would you have liked people saying that about me? I don't think so." Stefan scolded Katherine and she just rolled her eyes.

"Don't be so morbid, darling. You need to lighten up a little," she swayed over to Stefan with the bed sheet wrapped around her but Stefan declined her offer. He turned away from Katherine and grabbed his leather jacket, helmet, and motorcycle keys.

"Where are you going?" Katherine called out, "I just ordered room service!" Stefan kept walking and didn't answer Katherine.

_I need to stop doing that, _Stefan thought, _I need to stop using her. _

Stefan entered the lobby and noticed the time on the wall. It was around seven in the morning so Stefan had a few hours to ride around Monaco until he had to be in the pits for the race. Stefan entered the underground garage of the hotel when he noticed a black Porsche 911 sitting in a space, Stefan was immediately flooded with a memory of Elena.

"_Stefan?" Elena looked up to him as they were sitting in the park underneath the Eiffel Tower, in France, while enjoying a light picnic together. Stefan smiled down to his girlfriend and waited for her to continue._

"_When you become a famous Formula 1 driver, can you build us a beautiful stone home with a white picket fence? And with a beautiful garden surrounding the entire house? And with vines climbing up the front of the house so it looks like something out of a fairytale? Of course we would need to have a beautiful pink door since it's my favorite color and to accent the peonies that will be in our garden. And we also need to have a long and winding driveway that leads to our garage that holds a black Porsche 911. Oh! And we also need a spacious backyard for when we have children. I want lots of children Stefan, three is the minimum. Ideally, I want two boys and a girl. I really like the names Alexander, Benjamin, and Harper." Elena was beaming when she finished her rant and Stefan held her tighter in his arms. He put his lips down to her ear._

"_When I become a famous Formula 1 driver, I will build you the home of your dreams and give you as many children as you want. I think Alexander, Benjamin, and Harper Salvatore has a nice ring to it. Whatever else you'll think of for our future, I won't deny you of it. You're my life now, Elena." Elena leaned up to Stefan and kissed him with passion and sighed with content at their plans._

"_I love you Stefan, don't ever let go of that." Elena promised. Stefan kissed her forehead again. _

Stefan was ripped out of his memory when the alarm of a car when off. He looked over to the blaring car and decided to tell the Valet about it.

"Hey man, someone's car alarm is going off. You should go check that out." The Valet nodded and left his post to access the situation. Stefan took notice of the logbook on the desk. Stefan nearly threw up when he saw a familiar name scribbled on the paper.

"Michaelson, Elena" Stefan muttered to himself and was in a state of disbelief. He was right all along. He had definitely seen her in the hotel lobby. Elena was staying in the same hotel as him, all though he didn't know why, he felt happy just knowing she was near him. The last time they saw each other was 5 years ago and that was the night they called it off for good

* * *

"Are you ready?" Elena yelled out over the crowd to Elijah. He stuck his thumbs up and smiled widely at his wife. She couldn't help but smile too when she saw how happy Elijah was in his car as he was getting ready to take his place on the track. She loved the rush of being in the pits with all the other drivers, she also enjoyed all the food they were serving too. Elena stayed near the pastry station and talked with another Formula 1 driver's wife. They just chit chatted about nonsense when the announcement was made for the drivers to get to the track. Elena waved Elijah good-bye and wished him luck.

"So.. are you going to stay or not?" Marcy asked. Elena looked with uncertainty at Marcy and then to the track.

"I don't know Marcy… I really would love to go home and see my family but Elijah needs me here with him. I still have until tonight to decide. I know Elijah and I constantly fight but isn't that what married couples do? I mean, I would be concern if we weren't arguing." Elena laughed and Marcy just nodded in agreement.

"Tom and I are getting a divorce- too much arguing in our marriage. I'm just here because I have to be. We don't want the press to know. We can't even stand to be in the same room as each other. After this season, I'm out. Moving to California to stay with my sister for a while until I figure out what to do." Elena smiled apologetically at Marcy.

"I'm sorry to hear that Marcy, if you ever need to talk, you know where to reach me." Elena expressed her sympathy and a moment of silence was shared between them.

The race was just about to begin when Elena heard a familiar laugh bellow from behind her. She turned around and gawked at who she saw.

She stood with poise and sex appeal as adjusted her hair. Katherine was wearing a seriously tight dress that accented all of her curves and was charming every man that stood around her. Elena couldn't believe she was standing right in front of her.

"Katherine?" Elena excitedly asked out loud. Katherine turned her head to Elena with a look of false surprise washed over her face.

"Elena? Oh my god, Elena!" Katherine walked over to Elena with swaying hips and Elena met up with her halfway. They hugged and stood apart examining each other's appearance. Katherine had a smug look on her face while Elena was still humble.

"Wow, Kat, you look so great!" Elena complimented Katherine and she smirked.

"Thanks, I would say the same about you but… you look like you let marriage get the best of you." Elena laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Oh Katherine, you're too much. I'm actually expecting!" What Elena really wanted to say was, "_You dumb bitch, I'm not fat, I'm pregnant!" _But Elena was more polite than that. Katherine looked to Elena's stomach with wide eyes and a contorted mouth.

"And so it seems…" Katherine examined Elena once more.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked. Katherine crossed her arms smiled mischievously.

"I'm here…. Because of business. My father is sponsoring of the drivers." That wasn't a total lie – Katherine's dad is on the board for Ferrari and Ferrari just so happens to sponsor Stefan. Elena took it with a grain of salt because she was just happy to see an old friend.

"What are you doing here?" Katherine asked with zero interest but Elena was happy to answer anyway.

"I'm here for Elijah. He came out of retirement this year and he really needs the support so.." Elena trailed off when Katherine clicker her tongue.

"You always were a good person Elena. I gotta run, why don't we meet up for drinks later? Hmm? You can have a seltzer water but I'd like a nice Martini to cap off the day. Catch you later, E." Katherine left Elena to herself. Elena was truly happy about their reunion but she felt a little awkward talking to Katherine. Katherine went to high school with Stefan and Elena. Elijah, Matt, Caroline, and Klaus went to high school with them too. They were all one big happy family until the night Elena and Stefan fell apart.

The cars were off to a roaring start and Elena cheered on Elijah from the pit. She watched her husband zoom past driver after driver, he was off to a good start. And then all of the sudden, a driver, number 17, caught up with Elijah and past him with miraculous speed. Elijah was now in second place and it was almost time for a tire change, Elena wasn't worried but she was curious as to who the driver was. She knew almost everyone participating in the race, except for this driver. Elijah's car rolled up and he was yelling at his pit crew to hurry up with the tire change.

"Come on you guys! Get a fucking move on!" Elijah was rushing for his tires to be changed because behind him was number 17, almost ready to take his place on the track again. Elijah's tires were done and he immediately shifted into sixth gear and was in first place again. Elena could see number 17 furiously yelling at his pit crew to hurry up. The driver flipped his visor on and immediately got back on the track. The driver looked to his right and got a small glance of Elena. Elena got a small glance of the driver's eyes which are sharp green with dark eyelashes and prominent eyebrows. She had only seen a pair like that before and that's when she immediately realized it was Stefan Salvatore.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi all, I apologize for not updating sooner! Been super busy on my end but it's slowing down so I will be updating more frequently. Thank you for your interest in this Stelena story! It's becoming one of my favorites :) Enjoy!**

Elena suddenly grew nauseous and ran to the nearest garbage can and began gagging.

_That couldn't have been him, _She thought, _Why would he be here? It's not Stefan, it's not him. _

Elena kept repeating that to herself as her breathing slowed down and she began to grow calm again. A bystander asked her if she was all right and she just nodded yes with a small smile. Elena couldn't let herself think Stefan was there racing against her husband because that would be silly. Elena composed herself and decided to go back to her hotel room and get some rest. Between seeing Katherine and possibly seeing Stefan, Elena had exhausted herself. Elena went back to the pit and spoke to Elijah's manager.

"Hey Jim, can you tell Elijah I went back to our room when he's done? I'm not feeling too well so I'm going to rest up. I'll watch the race from there. Thanks." Elena said calmly and walked away.

By the time Elena made it back to her room, the race had finished and Elijah placed first. Since Elijah placed first, he would have to attend a press conference afterward and probably wouldn't be back for several hours. Elena didn't mind though, half of her felt happy her husband won but the other half was grateful she would have some time alone.

Elena sat on the bed, just relaxing, for an hour or so before she began to grow hungry. She looked out her window, watching the blue sky turn orange and reached for her phone. She played with her phone in her hands while she was deciding what to do. She looked into her contacts and selected a name.

"Hello?" The voice answered in a cool, business like fashion.

"Hey, Katherine. It's me, Elena!" Elena said in friendly tones.

Katherine scoffed and stifled a snobby laugh, "I know Elena, I do have caller ID."

Elena laughed and gritted her teeth at her mistake, "Right! So.. I was wondering if you still wanted to get dinner tonight and catch up? Elijah won the race so he won't be back for a while and I'm sort of hungry so I just thought I'd take you up on your invitation from earlier."

There was a moment of silence before Katherine spoke, "Okay, yeah. You know what? That sounds really good actually. Let's meet in the lobby in an hour. We'll go to Elsa, it's right on the water. Wear something nice."

Elena rolled her eyes and laughed, "Does Prada and Yves Saint Laurent sound good?"

Katherine clicked her tongue and smiled through the phone, "God, you are blessed. See you in a bit!"

Elena was looking forward to her meeting with Katherine considering she hasn't had much interaction with anyone but Elijah for the last few months. She hopped into the shower and got herself ready for her dinner date with Katherine Pierce.

* * *

"Elijah! Elijah! How does it feel to win after such a long retirement?" A report yelled. Thousands of cameras were flashing and millions were waiting for his answer. Elijah slicked his hair back and gave a wide smile.

"How does it feel? It's the best feeling in the world. It might be a little better than when I found out I was going to be a father." Elijah jokingly stated and the whole conference room erupted into laughter.

"Where is your wife now? I didn't see her at the winner's circle." Another reporter shouted. Elijah cleared his throat and plastered on a smile.

"She went back to our room. She isn't feeling very well since her pregnancy is a delicate one. She was there when I started and that was motivational enough for me to win." The whole room awed but one reporter wasn't buying it.

"I find it strange that your wife wasn't present today or at any of your previous practices." A female called out. The room became silent and Elijah perked up at this statement and began to grow impatient.

"Why is that strange? Formula 1 isn't a favored female sport. I'm sure most of our wives would rather be out shopping than watching us drive in circles." Elijah laughed and the room laughed along with him.

"Her absence wouldn't have anything to do with a past relationship she's had with another driver, would it?" She asked. The room murmured and gasped a little while Elijah was scanning the conference room to see who was saying these things so publicly. Elijah sighed and tugged on the collar of his shirt with frustration.

"Look, my wife has had no previous relationships with anybody on the roster this season or any season. We've been together for five years, married for four, and we are expecting out first child. I don't know who you are referring to, but I'm sure you're just making this shit up to have something published in your shitty tabloid." A few people clapped and cheered on Elijah but then the woman stood up and spoke again.

"So you're telling me, that you have no idea that Stefan Salvatore competed against you today?" Elijah was stunned when he saw who was asking him all of these questions. He pressed his lips in a firm line and gritted his teeth.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. It's bad luck to know who you're competing against because it psyches you out. Nice to see you again, Bonnie. No more questions. Press conference over." Elijah stood up and angrily walked out of the room. When he entered the lot to go into his car, almost a hundred people were waiting to receive autographs from him. Elijah put on a friendly smile and signed a few before he got into his blacked out Mercedes Benz and drove off to the first of many victory parties sans Elena.

* * *

"What the fuck Stefan? Are you kidding me right now? You were so close and you lost to not one, not two, not three, but fours morons! You came in FIFTH, Stefan. Fifth fucking place. " Katherine was screaming in Stefan's face as soon as he got out of the car and into the lobby of the hotel. Stefan continued to ignore Katherine as she chewed him out.

"Are you listening to me? Your career is on the line here. You left your steady and well paying job to pursue this dream again and now you're just pissing it away. Why? Why weren't you focused, huh?" Katherine stopped Stefan from walking away from her and Stefan snapped his head around at her with wide, frustrated eyes.

"I'm aware of how poorly I did Katherine. I have a lot on my mind today. Stop yelling at me before you say something you're going to regret. And please, for the love of all things holy, shut the Hell up. I'm going for a drive. You can do whatever you want." Stefan said carelessly. He walked away from Katherine and Katherine went to chase after him but her phone started buzzing. She looked down to the screen and saw Elena's name flash across the screen. She groaned and thought about whether or not she should answer. Katherine suddenly considered if Stefan may have caught a glimpse of Elena which would explain his behavior… Katherine decided to answer Elena's call.

* * *

Elena got into her elevator and looked at herself in the reflection of the elevator doors. She was wearing a white custom-made Prada dress that had cobalt embroidery on the hemline and the neckline with a pair of tan leather Yves Saint Laurent heeled sandals. All though Elena's feet were a little bit swollen and starting to hurt, she wanted to show Katherine that she's still got it. The dress was empire cut, accenting her growing stomach and her long legs contrasting against her olive skin. Elena left her hair down but decided to opt for beach waves since it was fitting of their dinner location. She wore her usual jewelry (wedding band, engagement ring, diamond studded earrings) but decided to wear the bracelet that Stefan had give to her for her 21st birthday. The bangle was gold and engraved with the latitude and longitude coordinates of where Elena and Stefan where Stefan had confessed his love for Elena. She wasn't sure what possessed her to wear that bracelet but she knew that it felt right to wear it either way. She looked down at her bracelet and smiled at the memory of it.

"_Happy birthday, Elena" Stefan whispered in her ear as they were laying next to each other on an open field of grass in Yellowstone National Park. They were there for their senior trip. Everyone had gone to sleep already in their tents but Elena wanted to star gaze and Stefan wanted to go with her. Elena smiled at Stefan's warm voice in her ear and she looked over to him. _

"_My birthday isn't for another five minutes, why are you saying it now?" Stefan cracked a smile and exhaled deeply. He sat up and Elena followed suit. _

"_Look up at the sky, Elena." Stefan gently commanded and Elena did so with a happy smile, "Now, try to count all of the stars." Elena looked over at Stefan with an exasperated smile and slight confusion._

"_What? You know it's impossible to do that. I don't even know where to begin!" Stefan laughed at her grimace and he continued on. _

"_Just try…." He waited a few minutes as he saw Elena start counting, and then count over again because she lost her place, "Now, multiply that amount of stars with the amount of galaxies and then multiply that number with the amount of potential universes that exist." Elena was growing frustrated because she was literally trying to figure it out. She huffed and puffed and Stefan threw his head back and laughed contently at her frustration._

"_What's the point Stefan? The answer is infinite." Elena finally stated. Stefan cleared his throat and grew serious yet again._

"_That's the point. The way I feel about you is exact to the amount of space there is. It's infinite. My love for you is infinite. You're the only woman I will ever feel this way about. You are the one I love Elena Gilbert.__** I love you**__." _

Elena jumped at the noise of the elevator when it rang to notify that she's reached the lobby. The doors slid open and Katherine was already there with open arms. Elena smiled and embraced Katherine awkwardly.

* * *

"This is a beautiful place Katherine." Elena commented as the hostess was sitting them down at their waterfront table. Katherine smiled with cockiness and arrogance.

"Isn't it just fabulous? My uncle is the head chef here." Elena smiled politely and nodded. The hostess asked if they would like anything to drink.

"A sparkling water please, with extra lemon on the side. Thank you." Elena stated. Katherine smiled and giggled.

"I'll have the finest bottle of champagne. And a glass of water." The hostess quickly went off to fetch their beverages and Katherine dove right into a conversation.

"So, how's your pregnancy going?"

"Oh, it's going well, I guess. You know, I suffer from high blood pressure and things like that so I have to be careful. It's been a little bit of a struggle but it's worth it. It's been difficult for me to get pregnant so I'm taking this as a blessing and just being overly cautious with everything I do." Katherine raised her eyebrow and titled her head to the side.

"Well, my hat's off to you, Elena. Good for you for being careful, you wouldn't want a repeat of last time… You are one tough bitch. How does Elijah feel about fatherhood?" Elena looked down to her hand and then back up to Katherine.

"I don't know… really, I don't. He hasn't really been to any of my appointments being that he's been training. He asks of course, and he tells me how much he's looking forward to it but it's been hard dealing with it on my own. And I know, last time.. it was my fault. It's different this time." Katherine felt a pang of sympathy for Elena because here Elena was with an unsupportive husband and a risky pregnancy. Katherine immediately knew that if Elena ended up with Stefan, Elena's situation would be the exact opposite.

They were both silent as the waitress brought their drinks and asked if they were ready to order.

"I'll have the Mediterranean pasta, please. But with no seafood." Elena ordered. Katherine widened her eyes and laughed at Elena.

"Loading up on the carbs, are we? I'll have the Monaco salad but with the dressing on the side and extra vegetables." Katherine waved the waitress away and looked at Elena.

"You're going to consume carbs? Are you trying to get kankles?" Elena couldn't believe what Katherine was saying so all she could do was laugh.

"Katherine, it's fine. I need to have as much energy as possible. I'm on a diet but it's beneficial for the baby, not for me. I'll do whatever it takes to have a healthy child."

"Even if it means compromising your ankles?" Katherine smiled at her question, knowing it would provoke bewilderment from Elena.

"Yes, even if it means I'll get kankles." Elena continued to laugh and so did Katherine.

"Anyway, what's new with you? Any love interests?" Katherine half smiled at Elena with lust in her eyes. Elena shook her head with a gentle smile.

"Oh no, I've never seen that look so this must be serious. Do tell Katherine."

"There's nothing to tell… really." Katherine answered but Elena wasn't convinced.

"Do you love him?" Elena asked. Katherine twisted her mouth and was stumped for a minute.

"I am not in love with him. I just love being with him. He's very… easy to be with but not easy to love. He's great in bed though." Katherine winked and maliciously smiled. Elena raised her glass and so did Katherine.

"Well, cheers to that." Elena exclaimed. Their glasses clinked and the waitress set their food on the table. Katherine noticed Elena's ring and whistled at it. Elena blushed slightly and played with her ring.

"Jesus Elena, how much did that set him back?"

"It's in the family. It was his mother's and so on. I thought Klaus would give it to Caroline but we got married so young so to Elijah it went. Sometimes I feel like it's too much, sometimes I feel it's too heavy." Katherine stopped skimming through her salad and glared at Elena.

"You know what that means right?" Elena didn't know and shook her head. Katherine leaned forward with an ominous stare.

"That means that you're not meant to be together. If you're truly in love with him, your ring should feel weightless. If you think you might sink one day in your marriage, you'll definitely drown with that thing on." Elena took in Katherine's superstition and coyly brushed it off.

"Don't be ridiculous Katherine, you're too much." Elena said with offense. Katherine put her hands up and raised her eyebrows.

"Don't get mad at me, Elena. I'm just telling you the truth. I think the whole world knows you and Elijah just aren't meant to be together but who are we to stop you?" Elena became irritated and clenched her fist.

"Stop it, Katherine. If you're here to chastise me about my actions and decisions then you can continue and I'll just leave. Do you not think that I know how everyone feels? Do you know what it's like being home and having everyone look at me as if I'm ready to fall apart because of a decision I made five years ago? I know what I did was wrong and I know everyone thinks Elijah and I aren't supposed to be together but it's too late to consider what could have been. I'm two months pregnant; I just can't abandon Elijah, the father of my child, because I don't love him." Elena gasped at her confession and Katherine sat in silence with a smug look. Elena placed her elbows on the table and covered her eyes with her hands.

"Have you seen him?" Katherine finally broke the silence and Elena angrily looked up with tear stained cheeks.

"What? What kind of question is that? I can't face him after what I did to him. I broke his heart. I shattered all the good he had in him. I wanted to go back to him, I still do but I can't. I just can't. We didn't stick to the plan. We're broken." Elena started to cry again and Katherine looked around hoping no one would pay attention to the scene that's unfolding between them.

"Look, Elena… I don't… you can't be so hard on yourself, okay? You were young, you thought you loved him but you didn't. You didn't know what love was." Katherine tried to calm Elena down but when Katherine accused Elena of not knowing what love is, she got really mad very quickly.

"How dare you try to tell me that I don't know what love is. I love Stefan; I never will stop loving him. The day I married Elijah was the worst day of my life. I'm stuck, I can't get out and you know what? The night I slept with Elijah was the worst mistake I've ever made. And you want to know something else? That baby was never Elijah's, it was Stefan's and I miscarried. I was so mad and frustrated with myself for what I did that I killed Stefan's child. I regret everything in my life from the moment I left Stefan to now. I constantly think about him. I wish Elijah was him. I grow sick just thinking about the life Stefan and I could have had together. Everything we had is no longer infinite." Elena quietly cried and was ready to continue but Katherine shook her head "not now" and stood up to look over Elena's shoulder.

Elena turned around in her seat and was frozen with fear when she saw who was standing behind her.

It was Elijah and judging by the look on his face, he heard everything Elena had just confessed.


End file.
